What's Girl Talk? Brilliant.

What would it sound like if you put together grooves from Twisted Sister, George Clinton, Pete Townshend, Prodigy, Pink, Roy Orbison, Missy Elliott, Queen and The Band in one song? Sound like a recipe for disaster? Actually, it's genius. It's Girl Talk.

Happy Birthday, E

OK, Paul, you want to play it that way. Happy 74th, King!

In The New Year

And, just like The Walkmen, I know that it's true, it's gonna be a good year. Unlike those guys, no skeleton makeup for me.

My 19 Favorite Tunes of 2008

So, tell me, does the album even matter anymore? When I think about a really awesome album like The Who's Quadrophenia or The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's or The Clash's London Calling, these were more than a collection of songs, they were cohesive works of art.

Today, I very rarely listen to an album as a single work of art. More often than not, I listen to a song here or there because that's how I buy music. I think because of the series of tubes known as teh internets, we listen to music differently now. The era of the single is back, the era of the long-playing album is over. Of course, feel free to disagree with me as Paul Boll did over FredBurgers at lunch yesterday afternoon.

Anyway, I don't really think I can put together even a short list of best albums because I don't feel I have the opportunity to listen to enough albums to even put together a short list.

Don't get me wrong, there were some albums I really liked. Alejandro Escovedo's Real Animal may be the best album he's ever done. British Sea Power's Do You Like Rock Music? was an impressive piece of power pop. But I'm not sure the album really matters anymore.

Whether albums matter or not, I thought this was a great year for music. Here are my 19 favorite songs of the year, in something approximating order of preference. Listen, enjoy, react, disagree:

1. "Constructive Summer," The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady seems to inspire lots of debate -- some minimize them as just a bar band and other call lead singer Craig Finn pop music's answer to John Updike. The truth is probably somewhere in between -- they are a cerebral bunch of rockers who play with a lot of heart. Honestly, they remind me a lot of another outfit with Twin Cities roots, Soul Asylum. "Constructive Summer" was completely brilliant -- I could listen to it 10 times in a row right now.



2. "Sex on Fire," Kings of Leon
I was surprised this wasn't a bigger hit. I felt that this song could be a huge hit of "Hey Ya" type magnitude. It wasn't, but it was still a No. 1 hit in the UK. Lead singer Caleb Followill is sort of the male Lucinda Williams -- with that kind of raspy, ragged vocal. Not everyone's taste, but I kind of like it. Watch the video here.

3. "L.E.S. Artistes," Santogold
I think of Santi White, also known as Santogold, as an Eighties throwback -- a little bit of Blondie, Grace Jones and Siouxsie Sioux mixed up into a souffle of awesomeness. She really should be a big, big star -- in a better world, she'd be Beyonce.



4. "So Said What," French Kicks
Which Brooklyn under-the-radar supergroup do you like better -- the French Kicks or The Walkmen? The way you answer that question reveals ... something. I actually prefer the French Kicks, if for no other reason than The Walkmen are better known for their version of Mazarin's "Another One Goes By" than Mazarin is. Yeah, I'm splitting hairs because The Walkmen are rad, too. But the French Kicks ... they're just a wee bit radder. This song channels a certain Beach Boys easiness with a post-punk vibe. It's a real feel-good song.

5. "Grace," Goodwin
This is a total homer pick. I love Fort Worth. I love power pop. Tony Diaz and Daniel Gomez put those two things together quite nicely. Continue to rock, gentlemen. Here they are playing down the street from my house at The Moon.




6. "Sister Lost Soul," Alejandro Escovedo
Back in my Austin days, I worked at the same Sound Warehouse as Alejandro. I still remember the day his then wife (or ex-wife) killed herself. That's a trauma that I still think he wrestles with, and I think you can hear it in this song.



7. "Can’t Say No," Helio Sequence
I've been listening to a lot of KEXP (Damn you, Dominick!), so I've been brainwashed by the Seattle Music Mafia. All the same, Keep Your Eyes Ahead is a brilliant album, if I kept track of that kind of thing. This song is my favorite.



8. "I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You," Black Kids
Infectious, fun pop. If Robert Smith of The Cure made it successfully though therapy, he would probably make music like this.



9. "Lost Coastlines," Okkervil River
Representing the 512 area code on this list is Okkervil River. Actually, I could just as easily insert their cut "Singer Songwriter" here, but I'll put in "Lost Coastlines" here because, well, because I can't find a link to the video. Meh.



10. "I’m Good, I’m Gone," Lykke Li
Duffy, Adele, I want nothing to do with you. Y'all can't carry Lykke Li's mascara.



11. "Unforgettable Season," Cut Copy
More electronica. I think "Cut Copy" is Australian for "awesomeness."



12. "Northwestern Girls," Say Hi
I liked their old name, Say Hi To Your Mom, but this ambient little ode to Seattle's pretty ladies is quite a fetching little tune.



13. "Midnight Man," Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
No Tom Waits album this year -- Nick Cave is an acceptable substitute. Besides, he got the word "chrysalis" in the song.



14. "Ladytron," Ghosts
Heavy electronica. This song is surprisingly addictive.



15. "The Re-Arranger," Mates of State
Probably the best most-maligned band of the year. The husband and wife duo of Jason Hammel (drums/vocals) and Kori Gardner (keyboard/vocals) sound like they are having a good time. Why not enjoy?

16. "The Step and The Walk," The Duke Spirit
Liela Moss = Marianne Faithfull + Nico. You do the math.



17. "Sometime Around Midnight," The Airborne Toxic Event
Easily my favorite band name of the year, this song is overwrought and maudlin. What more could you want from pop music?



18. "Oxford Comma," Vampire Weekend
I agree -- I don't give a fuck about an oxford comma.



19. "You Want The Candy," The Raveonettes
Uh, yes. I want the candy. Has there been anything out of Denmark this much fun since Legos? I think not.

Tom Waits in Atlanta Podcast

Got two and half hours to spare? If you missed Tom Waits on the Glitter and Doom tour, you can catch the rebroadcast of the Atlanta show on NPR. I highly recommend it.

Tom Waits at The Palladium in Dallas

Photo from Unfocused Mike

A long time ago during my Austin days, my old roommate Russ worked on a movie called The Ballad of the Sad Café being shot on Willie Nelson's ranch out in Dripping Springs. Russ was the stand-in for Keith Carradine, which meant that he literally stood under the hot lights in the hot Texas sun instead of Carradine as they set up camera shots. When everything was ready, Keith would step on to the set and shooting would begin.

Toward the end of shooting, Russ decided he would allow himself to ask Keith one "Hollywood" question. Because Keith Carradine had recently starred in Cold Feet, the question to Russ – and me – was obvious. "What's Tom Waits really like?"

I don't remember much about what Keith told Russ other than something like, "He's a poet, really." I know the answer was much more comprehensive and thoughtful than that, but I was thrilled to talk to someone who talked to someone who talked to Tom Waits. And for years, I was such a big fan of Waits' music that I assumed that any kind of connection to the man would be some sort of transcendent experience.

So when I finally saw Waits in Chicago back in 2006, it was inevitably a bit of a disappointment. It was fantastic, but not transcendent – except for "Falling Down." However, I'm not sure any artist can live up to those weighty expectations.

Nonetheless, my enthusiasm for the music of Tom Waits remains undiminished and I bought tickets to last week's Dallas show the moment they went on sale.

Much has been written already about the lack of A/C and the dearth of bars. And yes, it was freaking hot in there and the line for any beverage -- with or without alcohol -- was unmercifully long. But for the chance to stand within 50 feet of the man for the entire performance, I'm willing to put up with a lot. However,the conditions may have had more to do with Tom Waits than the Palladium management. At the Tom Waits show in Chicago in 2006, the concessions closed 45 minutes before Waits took the stage and I chalked up the lack of air conditioning to the 100-year-old venue. That show was actually much hotter. If Waits wanted to create a revival meeting atmosphere, lots of heat and no booze are the way to do it.

And that's what it was on Monday night -- a tent revival replete with the showmanship, hucksterism and funkiness. And Waits has always been equal parts Howlin Wolf, Kurt Weill and Billy Sunday with a dash of Cookie Monster playing "Greensleeves." And when he played "Such a Scream" and "Eyeball Kid," he even channeled a bit of James Brown.

My biggest complaint was that the mix -- it was muddy and missing all of the high end. But what surprises me is the songs he played that are among my favorites like "Hoist That Rag" weren't my favorite songs of the evening. The songs I liked best were "Lie To Me," "Fannin Street" and "Black Market Baby" -- not songs I listen to all of the time, but he just blows them out live. And all you "Wire" fans have to love hearing "Way Down in the Hole." It's kind of special.

Transcendent? No. But I've moderated my expectations. Exceptional? Absolutely. Waits is a master showman and I can sleep better at night knowing that I've seen one of my musical heroes not once, but twice. If you ever have a chance to see him, you should. You won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't.

Tom Waits Coming To Texas!

El Paso, Dallas and Houston are tour stops this summer.

Spring Mix 2008

To all my friends who have asked -- Yes, I've been away. But it's all good. I've got a new job at Starr Tincup down on Magnolia Avenue. It's the greatest place in the world but I am busier than I've ever been, which doesn't leave a lot of time for blogging.

So I am taking the easy way out to get a post up ... I'm leaning on my man the Stash Dauber for inspiration. Here is my Spring Mix for 2008. Check it:

1. PPT > Higher
2. Goodwin > Grace
3. Say Hi > Northwestern Girls
4. British Sea Power > Waving Flags
5. The Raveonettes > You Want the Candy
6. Glen Hansard > Say It To Me Now
7. Band of Horses > The General Specific
8. M83 > Graveyard Girl
9. Nina Simone > Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
10. Joe Strummer > Coma Girl

The Reivers: I Keep Some Words Here In My Pocket for Such a Rainy Day

For a few moments at The Reivers reunion show at The Parish in Austin last night, it was 1985 again.

The kids who used to smoke cigarettes and drink coffee at Quacks or Les Amis, who used to hunt for records at Sound Exchange on the Drag, who used to queue up outside the Liberty Lunch were there. Most are a little thicker around the middle and maybe showing a little -- or a lot of -- gray. Or a receding hairline. Some of them brought their kids.

But they were there, pulling on a Shiner or a Lone Star, shelving middle age anxieties for a couple of hours to remember what life was like before mortgage payments and Blackberries. One woman -- in true Michael Stipe fashion -- was rocking her FFA jacket. A couple even wore their old-school Reivers' t-shirts.

And it was a good night and a good show.

The Reivers -- John Croslin, Kim Longacre, Cindy Toth and Garrett Williams -- were one of the biggest deals in the Austin scene in the mid-1980s. They never made the splash that Stevie Ray Vaughan did. Hell, they never made the splash Timbuk 3 made. But the two sold out shows over the weekend tell you that even though this band broke up in 1991 without reaching the same heights as other Austin acts, it still has a special place in the hearts of many a current and former Austin resident.

If you are looking for a good overview of who The Reivers were, or maybe you just need a little refresher course, go no further than Michael Corcoran's excellent remembrance on the Austin 360 Web site. He pretty much nailed it, and he was there to know. Below is a video of how they did it back in the day:



Last night, in the second of their two shows, The Reivers sounded like a band that hadn't played together in over 15 years -- not especially tight and they missed a few notes early on. And I'm sad to say that Longacre -- who could make the hair on the back of my neck stand up back in the 80's -- doesn't quite have the pipes she used to.

But these are mere quibbles. The Reivers still rocked and their got better as the night wore on. Longacre jumps around on stage pretty good for a middle-aged mom. Her harmonies with Croslin still evoke the same magic. Toth is still enigmatic. Williams plays the fuck out of his drum kit.



To provide a little more context for those of you in the 817, the Reivers emerged from the Austin scene in mid-1980s as a band called Zeitgeist. You can see them above on MTV's Cutting Edge, circa 1985, along with Daniel Johnston. Cut from the mold of the jangly R.E.M.-influenced bands of the time, they released an excellent album called Translate Slowly, a moody album perfectly calibrated for my brooding teen-age soul. As much as I loved all the songs on that album, what really struck me was two covers: Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "The 4Country Reporter Theme." These guys could rock, but they knew Texas. They were people like me. They loved Willie and Bob Phillips. They even ripped off the Texas Rangers logo of the baseball wearing the cowboy hat for their very own.

I listened to Translate Slowly approximately 150,000 times. I used to look at the back of the album sleeve at the black and white photograph of the band members sitting around a table, playing cards and drinking bottles of Shiner Bock and cans of Bud. I remember thinking, 'Man, Austin's a place I need to get to.'

Back then, that was the music of the future, the siren song of impending adulthood. And Austin called out as a good place get life started.

And I got to Austin. By the time I arrived, a lawsuit from another band with the same name prompted a name change to The Reivers, but I saw them and Joe Ely and the True Believers and a bunch of other great bands play during my time there. And I smoked cigarettes and drank Shiner, played spades and hung out with my friends just like those kids on the album sleeve. I even met my first Austin girlfriend at a Reivers' album release party on a cold, blustry winter day in the parking lot of the old Waterloo Records location.

And though the girlfriend wasn't around much longer than an album side, one cut off of that record, The End of the Day, I still carry around with me to this day. It was the next-to-last song they played last night, "Star-Telegram." It's still my favorite song ever about Fort Worth -- a beautiful piece of 1980s nostalgia for growing up in the early 1970s.

And that's where everything turns around. As I listened to that song last night, I was very aware that it was not a part of the soundtrack of my future, but rather my past. Now, when I put those old albums on and thoughts of Austin spin above my record player, I'm in Fort Worth. I've got a kid of my own who wears t-shirts and listens to rock music. Funny how that happened so quickly.

But, I'm lucky. Sure, time goes by all too fast, and many of the kids I enjoyed those Austin days with are now scattered all over the globe -- from Brazil to Ireland to Australia. But I still have some good old friends around who remember those days. And from time to time, just like yesterday afternoon, we can sit under a towering oak tree on South Congress in the long shadows of afternoon and share a drink and a laugh and listen to a little music.

That's really what I took away from last night at The Parish. -- for me, Austin is like Hemingway's Paris -- it's really a moveable feast. There's never any end to it. No matter how much you change or it changes, you can still return to it. And it's always worth it.

To Kim, John, Cindy and Garrett, thanks for the reminder. Thanks to Russ and Shannon for a good trip.

Thanks to jbeckham for the photo.

UPDATE: Read the Austin 360 review here.

Los Noviembres at Embargo Tonight

Looking for something to do on a Wednesday night? Head over to Embargo and check out Los Noviembres, the electrojazzblues cocktail mixed by Paul Boll and Angie Cassada. Think bossa novas and jazz standards. Astrud Gilberto. That kind of cool. Show starts at 10.

My Favorite Tunes, 2007

I have a love-hate relationship with year-end best-of lists. I like to see what other people are listening to or want you to think they are listening to. However, I don't really get the opportunity to listen to enough new material to offer an authoritative list.

My Top 10 Songs
1. Peter Bjorn and John, “Young Folks” – This song made whistling cool again. Not that whistling was ever uncool.
2. Spoon, “I Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” – If I ever got drunk, this would be the song I would listen to 73 times in a row. I am speaking theoretically, mind you. Plus, they look cool in the library (see above).
3. Stars, “Bitches in Tokyo” – Stars > Arcade Fire.
4. RJD2, “A Beautiful Mine” – The theme song to AMC's Mad Men is actually a 2006 song. But who cares?
5. Salim Nourallah, “I Miss You” – Salim makes sadness sound sooo good.
6. Feist, “1234” – Yeah, she's everywhere. But I loves me some Leslie Feist.
7. Amy Winehouse, “Back to Black” – Stay tuned for the flameout, but Winehouse recorded 1965's best album in 2007.
8. John Doe, “The Golden State” – Best X song of the year. Kathleen Edwards reminded me that I'm not over Exeen yet.
9. Flight of the Conchords, “Business Time” – Team Building Exercise '99!
10. The Shins, “Australia” – I think people kind of forgot about this album. Too bad. It's good bubblegum.

My Top 5 Albums
1. Salim Nourallah – Snowing in My Heart. Salim and Rhett Miller both want to be Ray Davies when they grow up. Salim's already got it nailed down.
2. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.
3. Feist – The Reminder. As I mentioned earlier, Feist is ubiquitous, yet not overhyped. She's that good.
4. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black. Who woulda thought a trainwreck could sound this good?
5. Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block. Everyone knows "Young Folks," but this album has several great songs on it.

8 Albums I Wish I Had Listened To
Stuff I’ve heard bits of and liked but didn’t get a listen in ’07. And, no, I couldn't think of 10:
1. Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin
2. The National – Boxer
3. Patty Griffin – Children Running Through
4. Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army
5. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
6. The New Pornographers – Challengers
7. The Killers – Sawdust
8. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

The Best Paragraph Written about Music This Year
A few weeks ago, Robert Christgau wrote on Slate about Journey's improbable comeback. He set the record straight:
"Let's get this party started quickly. Journey sucks. They sucked in 1981, they'll suck in 2033, and they suck now. Who gives a fuck what Tony Soprano thinks? What I love about Tony Soprano when he's not killing people (and sometimes when he is) is that he prevails with his brain but isn't above bringing his body into the contest. That's very rock 'n' roll. But does it mean that I want to eat at Artie Bucco's (the diner, maybe, no onion rings please), or live in that McMansion (unless he installs a lot of bookcases)? Uh-uh. Of course he likes hyperemotional arena rock from his flaming youth. In 10 years, he'll be ordering up Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On.'"

In a word, boo-yah.

Rick Poss and Randy Weeks at the AllGood

Just got off the phone with my friend Rick Poss, who informed me that he will be playing with Randy Weeks at the AllGood Cafe in Deep Ellum this Friday night at 9.

Weeks is kind of a big deal in Americana music circles, and he's probably best known for his song "Can't Let Go," with was on Lucinda Williams' monster hi album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Rick is an Austin guitar legend who just put out his first solo album, The Dying Man. In case you missed it, I interviewed Rick back in the summer.

oso closo Releases Debut Album

One of my favorite people in the Fort, Adrian Hulet, got a nice little write-up in the FWWeekly. He may look Rasputin-like in that photo, but he is charming, affable and a very talented musician. Adrian's band, oso closo has just released its debut album and I tell you now that it will be my next album purchase.

Good job, Adrian!

Remembering Hank Thompson

Sometimes, it just happens. You pick up one of those records that realigns your view of the musical landscape, that happily sends you off exploring in a different direction.

For me, one of the records was Hillbilly Music: Thank God! Vol. 1, which was the result of letting Marshall Crenshaw loot the Capitol Records archives back in the late 1980s. So, after being immersed in punk and alternative music for most of my junior high and high school years, suddenly I was listening to Merle Travis, the Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West and Rose Maddox.

But the real thunderbolt moment for me was the first cut, Hank Thompson playing "How Cold Hearted Can You Get." Maybe it was the virtuoso guitar work, maybe it was Hank's deep clear voice and the jauntiness of his phrasing. I don't know what it was, but at that moment, the twang hooked me and it lives in my heart still.

Last week, Thompson, the country music Hall of Famer and Fort Worth-area resident, passed away last week after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 82. Since then, I've been thinking about him a lot and trying to put my thoughts into words.

I was lucky enough to meet Hank a couple of times. I saw him play a gig at The Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas back in 1995, an almost religious experience. As he played that big ole Gibson hollow-body and sang all of his classics, I sipped on a Shiner Bock and watched dancers, old and young, scoot their boots across that old wooden floor. And I thought gawd-damn, THAT is the kind of old guy I wanna be.

I got to meet Hank after the show, say thanks and get an autograph on my Hatch Show Print poster. That poster still hangs in my man-cave to this day (it's in the photo in the upper right).

I saw Hank again a few years back, I think it was 2003. I wanted to take my wife and daughter to see him, and I laughed because we were probably the only folks under 60 there at the theater in Grapevine. He had slowed a step, but was still able to play a 45-minute set and sign autographs after the show. He autographed my daughter's program, graciously accepted our thanks for a show well played, and gave me a firm handshake and his trademark smile.

You have to admire a guy who could keep working like that at an age when most would have consigned themselves to a Barcolounger to watch reruns of the Lawrence Welk Show. Not Hank. In fact, I think we can all learn a few things from him:

Do What You Love
Growing up outside of Waco to German immigrants, Hank showed a knack for music and played on local radio before a stint in the Navy took him to the South Pacific during World War II. He studied electrical engineering briefly at Princeton after the war. It was a great opportunity, but what he really wanted to do was play music. So he returned to Waco and to the radio business, and put together a band he called the Brazos Valley Boys. They recorded their first single, "Whoa Sailor," a song inspired by his time in the Navy, for the Globe label in 1946. (See a video of "Whoa Sailor" below:


When the song became a regional hit, it caught the notice of Tex Ritter who helped Hank get a record deal with Capitol Records. From 1948 through 1980, Hank recorded 60 top 40 hits on the country charts. Yeah, electrical engineering is good job, but country music legend is a hell of a lot better. Lesson learned: You can always play it safe in life. Listen to your heart and take a few chances.

Don't Be Afraid to Try New Things
Hank enjoyed a lot of firsts in a career that spanned seven decades. His band was the first act to tour with a sound and lighting system; first to receive corporate tour sponsorship; first to record a live album "Hank Thompson, Live At The Golden Nugget In Las Vegas" released on Capitol in 1960, first country music show to play in Las Vegas, first to record in Hi-Fi stereo; and first to perform on a color broadcast of a television variety show. Lesson learned: Life changes. Change along with it.

Keep On Keeping On
This could also be called "Do what you love 'til it kills you." Hank kept performing until a few weeks before he died. Seven decades doing anything is impressive. Seven decades of doing something well -- now that's special. Lesson learned: You're going to die anyway, but there's time for that later. Live. Now.

Don't Expect People to Make a Big Deal When You're Gone
At his request, there will be no funeral for Hank Thompson. However, his fans will gather to celebrate his life at 2 p.m. today at Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza. Lesson learned: If people really love you, they'll remember you anyway.

Because I can't make it, I offer these videos I found on YouTube that show the man in his prime. Take a minute to check out the greatness.

Playing "Green Light":



Playing "Wildwood Flower / Just to Ease The Pain":



Interview on the Hal Peters Show. It's kind of funny. His house is on Tenkiller Lake and my grandfather was an engineer who helped build Tenkiller Dam:



Thanks for the memories, Hank. Rest in peace.

Fort Worth, Meet Ricki Derek

Fort Worth, you may not know Ricki Derek yet, but you will. That's because the Dallas-based jazz singer is coming to Fort Worth in a great big way.

In December, Derek is bringing jazz back to Sundance Square, filling the void left when the old Caravan of Dreams club closed its doors in 2001. His club -- the Scat Jazz Lounge -- located in the basement of the Woolworth Building, will bring sophisticated cool to the heart of Fort Worth.

But who is Ricki Derek? In Dallas, you can catch his show at the Cavern on Sunday nights or the Library Bar on Mondays. Maybe you can see him at one of the many private shows he plays for the hip hipsters -- weddings and such. His sound is Vegas cool swinging Mid-Century jazz. It's east to say he's a little bit of Frank Sinatra, a dash of Tony Bennett. But he really succeeds at being Ricki Derek -- a local original.

So take a few minutes to get to know him before he opens in Fort Worth. Drop by his Web site and listen to his music. My full interview with Ricki is available at West and Clear. Check it out and get hip to this guy's vibe!

Doug Bryan: Mad Love

Way back in the 1980s, I was a big Paul Weller fan. Starting with his hard-edged punk riffs from his early years with The Jam and later as he became the Soul-infused conscience of Brit Pop with The Style Council, I loved his music.

So did Doug Bryan. So much so that the Dallas rocker named his band Big Boss Groove after one Weller's Style Council hits.

Doug and I have that in common -- we like the pop music, whether it is Paul Weller, Lennon and McCartney, Squeeze, XTC or Crowded House. We say bring it.

The big difference between me and Doug as that where I like the music, he can actually play it. And I mean play it.

Doug did alright for himself with Big Boss Groove. But after marrying fellow bandmate Jill Johnson, life intruded a bit. Doug owns a successful post-production shop in Uptown and he and Jill have a pistol of a little girl. But business and family life don't leave too much time for rocking out. So the music went on the back burner for a while.

But now Doug is back with his new album, Mad Love, a delightful piece of musical candy that reminds me a lot of Paul McCartney, except that it is actually good. Exhibit A, B and C: The first three tracks on the album -- "Long Gone," "Brand New Heartbeat" and "Hattie's Coming Home." You know you've heard these riffs and musical textures before from years of listening to classic rock radio, but Doug manages to take it apart and re-assemble it in a way that sounds new and fresh. And he gets BIG points from me for one line alone in the song "Know It All" -- "She loves Al Green, Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall". Freaking brilliant. Pop music for grown-ups. What a concept!

To read more about Doug, check out this feature from Lakewood Now. Or, better yet, join him on Friday night at Club Dada for his record release party. They'll go on after the Beatles cover band Hard Night's Day finish their weekly happy hour set sometime after 9.

Doug's record is available for purchase in Dallas at Good Records, CD World, and CD Source. You can also order the CD at www.moontownproductions.com or you can download it at iTunes or at www.myspace.com/dougbryanmusic.

The End of the Line at The Wreck

For those interested, check out Kat's blog for pictures from the last weekend at the Wreck Room. Also, read Ken's take on the weekend. It's worth the (long) read, but he sums it up thusly:

"What I really wanted to say that night was this: All my life, since I was maybe 12 or 13, I've dreamed about being part of a community based around music. I found it at the Wreck Room. Of course there'll be other spots where like-minded folks get together and make something new, but this one is gone. I woke up the next day thinking, 'Oh, shit! I think I walked my tab last night! I'd better get down there today and pay it.' And then I realized that for the Wreck Room, there is no more 'today.' What's left are the memories of all the music, all the laughs, all the friendship, all the bad behavior. Those are indelible and will last as long as memory lasts."

Good job, Ken and Kat. Adios, Wreck. Thanks for everything.

UPDATE, 10.4.07: Here's Anthony Mariani's take.
UPDATE, 10.5.07: More from Ken: "Apparently it took the folks in the city bureaucracy responsible for "graffiti abatement" one day to color-match the walls and paint over the graffiti that my sweetie photographed at the Wreck on its final day. An object lesson in how quickly the wheels can turn in this town when the folks with the lucre are calling the tune and the changes. Anybody remember the 7th Street Theatre?"

Happy Birthday, Leon and Kelly!

I wanted to wish happy birthday to a couple of my country music favorites -- Fort Worth's own Leon Rausch (top right) and the lovely Kelly Willis (below, duh). Leon hits the big 8-0 while Kelly is 39. Happy birthday and thanks for the music!

Last Roundup for the Wreck

The weekend is the last huzzah for The Wreck Room before it is, indeed, wrecked to make way for -- must ... resist ... urge ... to ... rant! -- to make way for something different. I'm going to head out there to-nite because I want to see Goodwin and also because I want to support my all-time favorite barrista in Fort Worth, Adrian Hulet (above) of Osocloso, also on the bill. The rest of this weekend's bill:

Friday, September 28 - Goodwin / Osocloso / Buttercup

Saturday, September 29 - The Me-Thinks / Leroy the Prophet / Blood of the Sun

Sunday, September 30 - The Gideons / Cadillac Fraf / Top Secret…Shhh

Hope to see you there.

Dear Wall of Sound Festival

I owe you an apology. I kinda suck. And I'm not alone.

Believe it or not, this isn't my job. I do this because it's fun. But I do actually have a pay-the-bills job, and that's what I was doing on Saturday instead of rocking my ass off at LaGrave Field. I figured you'd understand.

But when I go online to find some post-mortem, what do I find? Not freaking much. Most of the coverage came from ... ack ... The Dallas-freaking-News. On moral grounds, I refuse to point readers in that direction. Instead I point you to Hansford and Sammy at Big D little d. And of course, my main man Mike Orren and Pegasus News were on the spot, too.

You can't sling a cat without hitting a music blogger, but can most of them get off their ass and get out to the biggest music thing in Fort Worth all year? Apparently not. And that's just wrong.

So, Wall of Sound, forgive my suckitude. And give me one more chance. Come back next year. It'll be different. Oh, yeah, and as promised, here's my picture of a kitten. Friends?